MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Ukraine
25.2.2014 - (2014/2595(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Guy Verhofstadt, Johannes Cornelis van Baalen, Marielle de Sarnez, Ramon Tremosa i Balcells, Louis Michel, Marietje Schaake, Phil Bennion, Jelko Kacin, Sarah Ludford, Izaskun Bilbao Barandica, Norica Nicolai, Catherine Bearder, Hannu Takkula, Ivo Vajgl, Eduard-Raul Hellvig, Jan Mulder, Cecilia Wikström, Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, Graham Watson, Nathalie Griesbeck, Philippe De Backer, Frédérique Ries, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, Nils Torvalds, Sonia Alfano, Liam Aylward, Robert Rochefort, Pat the Cope Gallagher, Rebecca Taylor, Justina Vitkauskaite Bernard on behalf of the ALDE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0219/2014
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on the European Neighbourhood Policy, on the Eastern Partnership (EaP) and on Ukraine, with particular reference to its resolution of 6 February 2014 on the situation in Ukraine[1],
– having regard to the conclusions of the extraordinary meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council on Ukraine of 20 February 2014,
– having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas since the Ukrainian Government’s decision to suspend the signing of the Association Agreement, hundreds of thousands of people have spontaneously taken to the streets all over the country to demonstrate in favour of European integration; whereas in Kyiv demonstrators have been peacefully occupying Independence Square, calling for a strong political change with a view to making the government review its decision;
B. whereas the authorities under President Yanukovych crossed a clear line by authorising the security forces to use live ammunition against the protestors and by deploying snipers on roofs in and around Maidan Square, which since late November has been the epicentre of an anti-government and pro-European protest; whereas protesters and bystanders were executed on the streets of Kyiv, provoking international outrage and condemnation;
C. whereas, at the same time, three foreign affairs ministers from the EU travelled to Kyiv in an effort to mediate a compromise solution between President Yanukovych and the opposition; whereas they managed to broker an agreement on a roadmap for a peaceful and democratic exit from the crisis; whereas the Russian special envoy also facilitated the agreement, but without co-signing it;
1. Expresses its deepest condolences to the families of the victims, strongly condemns all acts of violence and calls on all Ukrainian citizens, along with political and civic leaders, to act with the utmost responsibility in this historic moment for Ukraine;
2. Firmly condemns the brutal and disproportionate action of anti-riot forces that led to the dramatic escalation of violence;
3. Welcomes the responsible role played by the Verkhovna Rada in assuming its full constitutional functions and filling the political and institutional vacuum created by the resignation of the government and the dismissal of the President; takes note of the measures adopted so far by the parliament with regard, in particular, to the return to the 2004 Constitution, the decision to hold presidential elections on 25 May 2014, the decision to withdraw police and security forces and the release from prison of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko;
4. Commends the people of Ukraine on the swift change in power and on their civic resilience in the past few months, and underlines that this civic and popular protest serves as an example and will mark a watershed in the history of Ukraine; stresses that this democratic, civic victory should not be marred by any spirit of revenge or acts of retribution towards adversaries, or by political infighting; considers that those who committed crimes against the citizens of Ukraine and who misused the power of the state should face independent trials;
5. Calls for the setting up of an independent commission to investigate, in close collaboration with the Council of Europe International Advisory Panel, the human rights violations that have taken place since the beginning of the demonstrations;
6. Expresses its strong support, sympathy and solidarity to all the people who have been taking peacefully to the streets over the last three months in Kyiv and all over Ukraine in support of fundamental European values, democratic accountability, respect for human rights, the rule of law and the right to protest; underlines that democracy is not rule by the majority but a form of governance based on checks and balances;
7. Urges the Commission to find ways to provide medical care and support for all those who have been victims of violence during the demonstrations, in cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross;
8. Welcomes the conclusions of the extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council of 20 February and, in particular, the decision to introduce targeted sanctions, including an asset freeze and a visa ban directed against those responsible for human rights violations, and to suspend export licences for equipment that might be used for internal repression; notes the enormous impact that these sanctions have had on Ukrainian public opinion, and is of the opinion that these measures could have been adopted earlier;
9. Takes the view that targeted, flexible, individual sanctions and restrictive measures should be maintained as part of the EU policy towards Ukraine during this transitional period and be complemented with serious efforts in the Member States to combat money laundering and the hiding of assets;
10. Demands the immediate and unconditional release of all the demonstrators and political prisoners who have been illegally detained, the dropping of all charges against them, and their political rehabilitation;
11. Hopes that the constitutional majority formed in the Verkhovna Rada in the last few days can provide the basis for the beginning of a national dialogue involving all the democratic components of Ukrainian society, with a view to achieving genuine reconciliation between the parties, holding in-depth discussions on the future of the Ukrainian nation, and preserving the unity of the country; calls on the Ukrainian Parliament and the incoming government to protect the rights of minorities in the country and the use of minority languages;
12. Points out that the proposal to sign the Association Agreement is still valid and that the EU stands ready to sign it as soon as the current political crisis has been resolved and as long as the benchmarks set by the Foreign Affairs Council of December 2012 are met; underlines the fact that the signing and implementation of the Association Agreement will serve as a steady basis for Ukraine’s cooperation with the EU and facilitate domestic political and economic reforms;
13. Expects the Council and the Commission to deliver on promises and to continue to help Ukraine to overcome this deep political and economic crisis, particularly in connection with possible urgent financial needs resulting inter alia from the decision of the Russian Federation to suspend the second tranche of the purchase of Ukrainian bonds;
14. Expects the Council and the Commission, together with the IMF, the World Bank, the EBRD and the EIB , to come forward as soon as possible with a long-term package of concrete financial support to help Ukraine tackle its worsening economic and social situation and provide economic support to launch the necessary deep and comprehensive reforms of the Ukrainian economy; calls, therefore, for a donors’ conference to be organised without undue delay;
15. Acknowledges that widespread corruption is still hampering Ukraine’s potential to develop and is undermining the confidence of citizens in their own institutions; urges the new government, therefore, to make the fight against corruption a top priority in its programme;
16. Takes the view that the rapid finalisation of a visa-free agreement between the EU and Ukraine is the best way to respond to the calls of the members of Ukrainian civil society and students who over the last few days have demonstrated in the squares in favour of Ukraine’s European choice; points out that such an agreement will step up and facilitate exchanges and people-to-people contacts between civil societies, thus increasing mutual understanding and providing the opportunity for Ukrainian public opinion to become familiar with European standards and best practices in all fields; calls, in the meantime, for the immediate introduction of temporary, very simple and cost-free visa procedures;
17. Underlines that the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) provisions do not represent any commercial challenges to the Russian Federation and that the Association Agreement does not impinge on the historical links that Ukraine has shared with its eastern neighbour; points out that political stability, predictability and economic prosperity remain a common objective;
18. Stresses that no lasting political solution can be achieved in Ukraine without the constructive and legitimate contribution of Russia, but rejects the idea of a new partition of Europe based on areas of influence;
19. Calls on Moscow to adopt a constructive attitude and to stop retaliatory measures and undue pressure aimed at undermining the sovereign right of its neighbours freely to determine their future, so as to create the conditions for Ukraine to benefit from bilateral relations with both the EU and Russia; urges the EU and its Member States to speak to Russia with one voice in support of the European aspirations of the EaP countries that freely choose to deepen their relations with the EU; calls on the EU in this context to act in support of Ukraine or any other EaP country in the WTO or any other international organisations in the event of controversy with the Russian Federation;
20. Calls, furthermore, on the Commission to work together with the Ukrainian authorities to find ways of counterbalancing the effects of the retaliatory measures adopted by Moscow in order to stop the signing of the Association Agreement;
21. Calls on the Commission, the Council of Europe and the OSCE/ODIHR to provide reinforced pre-election support and a substantial long-term election monitoring mission so that the presidential elections scheduled for 25 May 2014 can be held according to the highest standards and produce a fully legitimate result;
22. Points out that the EU’s communication strategy in Partner Countries still lacks effectiveness; urges the Commission, in this context, to step up its efforts to explain the potential benefits and advantages of the Association Agreement to the relevant sections of public opinion;
23. Expresses support for the civil-society and non-partisan initiative to set up a ‘Maidan Platform’, in order to develop a strategy to overcome the endemic corruption in Ukraine;
24. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States, the President, Government and Parliament of Ukraine, the Council of Europe and the President, Government and Parliament of the Russian Federation.
- [1] Texts adopted, P7_TA(2014)0098.